Dallas Stars Blog

NHL Draft Preview: Seth Jones

Most of you have heard the story of Seth Jones by now, but he is definitely an intriguing tale for the entire NHL and especially for fans of North Texas hockey.

Jones is the son of former Mavericks player and assistant coach Ronald “Popeye” Jones. He was born in Arlington, did much of his growing up in Plano and still calls North Texas home when he has down time. The Jones family moved around with dad’s basketball career, and Jones’ older brother Justin decided he wanted to play hockey when the family was in Denver. Jones’ dad and his mom Amy, helped get the kids involved, and Seth took off.

The Jones family moved back to Texas when Seth was 12, and he played for the Dallas Stars midget program for a few seasons before heading up to Michigan to play for the United States National Development Program. He then joined Portland of the Western Hockey League, and he just finished helping the Winterhawks to the Memorial Cup Finals, where Portland lost to Halifax.

Jones also helped Team USA win the World Juniors gold medal in January in Ufa, Russia and already has three gold medals in international play.

So, all in all, a magic carpet ride.

He was ranked first by most of the scouting services, and many believed he would be the first overall selection at the NHL Entry Draft June 30 in Newark, N.J., but leaders with the Colorado Avalanche have said they will not take Jones first overall. That’s made for some interesting debate among draft experts in the past week.

Jones is listed at 6-4, 205 and there is some speculation he could grow even taller. His dad is 6-8. He is a smooth skater who handles the puck well and is a solid two-way defenseman. Last season with Portland, he had 56 points (14 goals, 42 assists) in 61 games during the regular season and was plus-46. He had 15 points (5 goals, 10 assists) in 21 playoff games and was plus-15. Then, in seven games at the World Juniors, he had seven points (1 goal, 6 assists) and was plus-8.

Here is The Hockey News on Jones: “He fits all the criteria to be a dominant NHL blue-liner: size, mobility, smarts, poise….One scout said he knows Jones can handle the rough stuff, ‘but you’d like to see him get mad sometimes.’ Jones is seen as a potential franchise defenseman. His skating, passing and shooting set him apart. His hockey sense allows him to skate the puck out of his end or make an accurate first pass without many turnovers. Plus he has a bomb from the point.”

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